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+--- Thread: Town Hall (/showthread.php?tid=7961)
it's not double-posting if you're repeating for your girldaughter and desperate to make up for the round you didn't post in
Damask looked, for a moment, as if she'd been shot through and was in disbelief from it, but she took the chance in quiet whispers. A request for another definition, which he repeated louder for Astraea to hear: "and what do you mean by 'produce?' The... copies?" Best to hazard a guess and act as if he'd been fully following and parsing all this.
Then, that familiar aching, a yearning desire to see what, exactly, was above all these caves. "No ceiling..." he echoed softly to her, a clear answer to that imploring look - yes. Aure let the idea marinade for a moment, turning it over in his mind as he would the wind beneath his wings through magic. He made to repeat that, too, but found himself breathless for a moment. Inhaling deeply, he tried again - "what is it like up there, at the surface?"
Surface, said like it was a simple locale, not an entire expanse.
Puck did not stay hanging from the spines for much longer. Alpha was quick to notice his presence, and quick to react. A clawed hand wrapped around Puck. Who'd magically changed names from Gremlin in the same thread. Ribs squeezed tight by a creature ten times larger than it. Puck squeaked, a noise of fear. Alpha reeled back its arm, and Puck helpless to change his fate, dangled. Then, for the first and probably not last time in his life, Puck experienced the magic of flight. An accompanying tiny scream as it was yeeted into the horizon.
The gaurbear twitched their ears, following the foal's gesture and blinking slowly, "I understand." and then, continuing to lick the colt's the mane, "'til it's time to leave, I'll stay with you."
They listened, idly, to the other's words, interjections and questions, and to the Master's answers. They were interesting, but they weren't sure what to make of it. But then the colt wanted to leave, and so they nodded, "Very well, then," and gathered their hooves beneath them, plodding slowly after the smaller Gembound.
Astraea's ear twitched at Giggle's attention, and he thought how he might best answer her, then shrugged—not to dismiss her, but to admit he could not form it into words. "It is difficult to say, as you might know," he started, then sighed. "It is a place you have been, but cannot name." It left marks on her like one might see from a hard grip—but they were everlasting.
To Pride, he nodded. "Yes, thank you as well for hosting such an idea," he said.
The dragons would be in Monoceros, but it tickled him to imagine that one—the loud one—reading and writing. What would it read? What would it write? 'MY SHINY, NO TAKE' or something, hm? A smile lit his lips as the dragons took flight, his head ducking out of instinct as they swirled dust and air. Others began to leave as well, the winged ring leaving a remark to Pride before doing so.
And of Dragon himself, he offered the Children of Rot tucked away in Cetus. Astraea nodded to him as well.
And finally, Auré. Astraea listened, nodded, then waited as the creature leaned down to its daughter, who he could not hear; but Auré added her thoughts for her, and Astraea nodded again.
"For Draco, I'm... not entirely sure yet. We'll have to go through Ursa, which is connected to Polaris." His voice caught and he frowned. "It's uh, guarded... by a golem. A large one, that fancies itself more than most do, but it slumbers in the short tunnel that connects them. It has seen the Ursa guardian and mimics it, and is effectively a stone bear." Astraea turned his nose in that direction, thinking. "After that is Cepheus, and Pegasus, and then finally Draco. My assumption is that they should not be each blocked off, but we will need to go through the golem at least."
"But yes, to produce, you can make copies—if you have seen Batcat's copies, then like those. Gemless, feral creatures that can be controlled by those that would need to control them." But not by the gembounds. "You could also use your stone, or others, and give them life as you already do. But in Draco there is a Spire, a smaller one, used for such a task."
And finally, his attention shifted to the small Damask; she did not directly ask him this question, but he smiled down to her nonetheless.
"Unfortunately, I cannot tell you of the surface of this planet, I do not know it and have never seen it myself," he started, then turned his nose upwards. "But I do remember what it was like living outside, before I chose to come here. There are no walls, well, mostly; sometimes there are cliffs or mountains, but you can go as far as you like..." Astraea turned back to them both. "And winged creatures are the masters of the sky, it is your domain. Perhaps you will be chosen to leave here someday, and you may fly among the clouds." To wreak havoc and destruction, if they are chosen for such a thing, yes.
Or maybe, someday, someone would come crashing through the rock ceiling in a fit of lightning and wind to crush their happy little magic party and send them all scattering to the wilds.
Aure nodded slowly, adjusting his wings - he'd seen the lumbering amalgams in Polaris, loitering around the crystal river and broken chrysalises, but never had the displeasure of encountering one. Glancing out the corner of his eye, he noticed the way his half-brother's shoulder seemed to lock up and stiffen. Ask about that later, he noted.
It was uncertain whether or not these other caves would be blocked off by something, too, but at least... it wasn't fighting their fellow Gembound or utterly destroying the entire Lesser population of Cetus in seconds. This was... a unified enemy to combat. One being shaped of rock - fancies itself more than most? Does it think and feel? Oh... no...
The young King shook himself, taking all that and the smaller Spire into his otherwise slightly overwhelmed mind.
He fantasized, for a moment, about the sky and mountains he could coast over. It was impossible to imagine, having been in a cave forever, but the sheer scale of it was enough to force an enamored breath from his beak. Blinking, though, he turned to the Bonebound in attendance - his daughter, mother, and brother in that order - and to Astraea with a slight dip of his head, "call on us when you need us."
With that, and if there were no further questions from his family, Aure turned to leave on foot.
damask shifted, swallowed, flushed. exactly as expected, her father had repeated for her. absolutely embarrassing. shouldn't've said anything. you're wasting everyone's time. but auré gave her questions gravitas, like ... like they meant something. she stayed with him for just a moment longer, a touch of gratitude in the slowness of a blink; and then astraea had her attention once again. a stone bear — feral copies? she definitely wasn't loving the sound of that. but these other rooms, waiting for recovery: ursa, cepheus, pegasus ... more and more to process later. the thump at her temple had spun itself into something more like a daze. one last thing, though; and all at once, ruby eyes were leveled her way, steady as the sights of a gun. waitwaitwait, hold on a second, is that smile for me — ? damask stood bolt upright beneath the master's regards, caught between awe and anxiety.
"you can go as far as you like ... masters of the sky, it is your domain."
"perhaps you will be chosen to leave here someday, and you may fly among the clouds."
his words sent reveries into her heart, an infinite landscape just out of reach. no ceiling, no walls, no bars and wires to lock them inside — only wind and sky and her father's wingtip, an inch apart from hers in midair. let's be real, though, and she let out her breath as hope gave way to resignation. he's teasing us, he's gotta be. it's bait, to make us do what he wants. no one's ever getting out of here.
but it was a very nice picture.
damask stepped forward, standing firm against the pace of her pulse. she didn't try to make herself heard — not worth it, at this distance. instead, she spoke with care and clarity, every lip-shape written in uppercase: "thank you." he'd understand. a hint of a bow, and she ducked away, shadowing auré as he led the family home.
She listened, rapt and yet entirely, cynically suspicious of all the Master's words. So there was some wonderful place outside the caves, but also they'd have to somehow split weird children off themselves and give them away to someone to earn it-?
...What.
She shook herself, at length, and realized that Aure and Damask were in motion. Time to go, then; and the Bonebound's Seer would have to go with them, for appearances. It seemed the meeting had come to a conclusion, though, regardless. Giggle pushed up.
A spark of impish inspiration struck, and the hyena paused after a few paces following them. She turned to look back down at Astraea, amused.
"You know, if you ever want to know what will happen, or need to plan... my bones are always open for a reading," she called. Then she was following her family out, her pace unhurried, and her mind lost in thought.
Something was... flung... and the cheetah stood, prepared to break up a fight (or, at least, try to) but nothing came of it so, though his tail lashed and he snapped his jaw in worry, he twitched his ears and sat to listen.
And he worried, and worried, and worried.
Being forced to give up their children, death, a world outside this one and he couldn't breathe, his ears were rining and his heart was racing in his chest, and it was only when his magic sparked, slowed the racing of his heart that he began to catch his breath again and 'I need help.'
and he came back to the stag - he hated the stag - describing a new cave, a 'womb' and what was a womb? "A womb?" he murmured under his breath, and Pride was stepping aside - please, could he leave?
The cheetah moved forward on stiff legs to stand besides Pride, making sure none would cause a fuss seeking comfort and trying not to shake.
